The present invention relates generally to inkjet printers and, more particularly, to access doors, or access doors, utilized in such printers.
Printers of various types are operated daily in thousands of business organizations, university campuses and homes. The typical ink-jet printer utilizes an access door pivotally attached to the printer housing to facilitate access to the printer interior for print cartridge replacement or for clearing paper jams. Generally, the access door opens upwardly in relation to the housing and, of course, this factor mandates that there be sufficient clearance for the door as it moves to the open position.
With ongoing development, printers are becoming more efficient and more compact. Thus, in some cases, a user may desire to place a printer on a shelf but is limited because vertical clearance is not available to accommodate the printer while the access door is open for servicing. The alternatives are to place the device on another surface or to remove it from the shelf when access to printer components is necessary.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to have an ink-jet printer that is suitable for use on a shelf or where vertical height is limited. Such a printer would enable access to print cartridges or to paper jams without requiring the vertical clearance of conventional printers.
According to the present invention, there is provided an ink-jet printer including a housing having an access door and a web. The web includes a first pair of hinge elements pivotally connecting the web and the housing, and a second pair of hinge elements pivotally connecting the web and the access door, wherein the first pair of hinge elements and the second pair of hinge elements cooperate for relative movement of the access door toward and away from the housing.
The present invention affords several advantages. For example, it is not necessary to provide vertical clearance for a simple hinged, conventional door since the dual pairs of hinges enable the access door to arc upwardly and back in relation to the housing, within a relatively smaller envelope. Thus, print cartridges and paper jams are accessible while conservation of valuable shelf space is achieved.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.